Friday, February 09, 2007

My Playground

Monaco

Cote D Azur

While the whole world looks to Monaco and its glitz for its annual Formula One event, Red Cross Charity Ball, Fireworks festival, Casinos and its harbour full of Superyachts belonging to the rich and famous, I arrived there one early spring morning in April 1998 to work as a crew cook onboard one of those Superyachts. It was my first job outside Singapore and I was physically exhausted from having assisted our National Team in Food Hotel Asia’s Salon Culinare in the last four days till the night I was to leave. Mentally I had battle scars from the loss of job as a result of the Asian Financial Crisis just months ago. Monaco offered me the window to resurrect my career and an opportunity to see the real world of cooking with different angles.This tiny principality has always been considered as a second home in the progression of my chef’s career, having spent five and half years based on two prominent yachts Lady Moura and Izanami that are docked there in every spring and summer.

Those were the most formative years of my cooking profession as I developed from a “frog-in-the-well” mentality of Singaporean style Western Cuisines to the real world of Western gastronomic insights, learning from local French chefs and playing with ingredients produced from all over France. I revised all of my knowledge of French cuisine picked up in SHATEC and through exposure working under French and Swiss Expatriate Chefs in Singapore. I cooked French onion soup like I have never done it before with ingredients grown on French soil and Emmental Cheese topped croutons. I prepared Croque Monsieur in French spirit instead of treating it as another Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich. I cooked Coq Au Vin using Bresse Chickens and Rhone Valley Reds and not steroid injected ones from some commercial farms in Johor, Malaysia.

I learned to discern the difference of taste in good quality seafood from the pristine waters of the Mediterranean compared to our sunny tropical waters, appreciating their flavours in the most natural way possible and sometimes utilizing my knowledge of South East Asian Cuisines to bring out new dimensions in them and wow the guests we served onboard the yachts. Most important, I acquired knowledge on utilizing produce from four different seasons and understanding when they are at their best of taste and flavours. I was forced to mature in a culinary environment where nobody speaks my language and I had colleagues who took their opportunity to work in Europe as just only a job. How sad!

Every trip to the Carrefour Supermarket in Monaco was a chance for me to learn all about French, Italian and surrounding Provencal produce that I had read from the books. Suddenly I was transferred from the sights of kalian, chye sim, spices like galangal and lemon grass to that of courgettes and vine riped tomatoes, cheese, hams and sausages. I was staring at bottles of wine and fruit vinegars, jars of mustards and mayonnaise and oyster sauce was an exotic ingredient. Day in day out, I experimented with many new ingredients often drawing knowledge references from the books that I had read. I was so often riding a scooter to and fro between the port and Carrefour through the streets of Monaco with bags of groceries that even the policeman at the port junction recognizes me due to my Asian heritage and chef’s uniform. By the time I was appointed as the Executive Sous Chef on Lady Moura, the shopping trips were to Metro in north of Nice instead of Carrefour. Metro which is a French version of wholesale hypermarkets with all culinary related products made me understand the routine of a good French chef that is often describe in their biographies. Like the French Chefs, we go to Metro at 4am in the morning to see what are the best ingredients available for our guest menus in the days ahead. We shopped not with trolleys but drove three trucks there to load up. I had to feed besides the sixteen VIP guests, another 80 multi national crew working round the clock five meals in an every 24 hours cycle. Every time we leave the port and cut through town in the wee early hours of the morning, I saw the French bakers and pastry chefs working in their kitchens to churn out fresh breads and pastries by 6am in the morning where their first customers would walk in for a coffee and a quick bite before their daily routine begins. It was hard work, but it made me see the light of what it takes to be a good chef in having the passion to cook, coordinate and organized the kitchens onboard one of the worlds largest privately owned yachts.

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About Me

Trained at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and SHATEC, spanning 20 years of culinary experiences in hotels, restaurants, private yachts, personal chef services and food science, Chef Eric has done many successful partnerships with PA and private culinary studios. His workshops are informative, educational and inspiring to all who share a passion for food both in travelling, cooking and eating. He builds the success of the workshops through the participants’ successes of cooking up a great meal at home!!
Chef Eric’s culinary achievements include being a WACS certified culinary judge for international and national level culinary events, a recipient for World Gourmet Summit At-Sunrice GlobalChef Awards 2005, Guest Chef for the Singapore Tourism Board’s Singapore Food Festival 2008 Makan Classes, PA’s annual Singapore Culinary Journey Series. Other accolades include judging at FHA Culinary Challenge 2010, Penang Culinary Challenge 2012. He was also a Team Assistant to the Singapore National Culinary Team for Food and Hotel Asia (FHA) 1998 Salon Culinaire.

What past participants say about my cooking workshops

Dear Chef,

Congratulations on your award, we feel honoured to learn under a world class chef. I enjoyed your lessons very much because firstly it's cheaper than any other schools outside, and your recipes are interesting & easy to follow. I have cooked your recipes on several occasions and my family enjoy the change in my style of cooking very much.

Thanks & RegardsMay April 21, 2005

Hi Chef Yong,

I attended your class on Roast Beef at CSC last night and really really enjoyed it! (I was the one sitting in front right at the side asking many questions and first to help you take the samples to pass around the class), and I am actually a trained Home Economics teacher and still I found your lessons useful, your tips helpful, your teaching patient and thorough. I immediately recommended your classes to my friends and colleagues :) I will def adopt and adapt some of your recipes for my young students in time to come.

Dear Chef Yong,Yesterday was my first time attending your class and I enjoyed it. It was my first time too coming to know about the different types of sauces,vinegars and herbs. I'm new to Western cooking. I'm looking forward to attend your next workshop next Wed at CSC.

Have a nice day!RachelParticipant from Civil Service Club15th November 2007

Hello Chef , I've just attended your cooking class and I wish to be on your Mailing list.PS: the food is GREAT! (: Thank You and God BlessLim Siew GekSaturday 30th June 2007

Dear Chef,I attended your last class at cainhill last Saturday morning. The dishes were very yummy. Which civil service club are you teaching? I check there were a few.RegardsJennifer AngMonday 25th June 2007

Hi ChefI enjoyed your Italian cooking class on 23 June (Sat) morning. The pasta and grilled chicken were simply yummy! I also enjoyed the tomato based sauce which was served with the grilled chicken. Would appreciate if you could let me have the recipe for the tomato sauce.Hope to attend more of your classes in future. Will be checking out your blog for updates.

Thank you.Lisa.Sunday 24th June 2007

Dear Chef,
I have enjoyed your cooking classes and my family are always looking forward for your class.
The Pasta Carbonara was so.........so delicious and the best I ever tested in Singapore.
Cheers
Yik Huey
23rd April 2007

Dear ChefA very happy, healthy and successful new year to you and your family.

I have attended all your Chinese New Year workshops (menu #4 to #9) and I am impressed - you make cooking seem so easy and your recipes are yummy.Thanks for sharing.I have prepared some of the recipes for my family renunion dinner and received rave reviews - "yummilicious, refreshing change, taste good and look good..." In fact many relatives are asking for recipes of the cereal prawns, xo meepok,braised duck and black glutinous rice.I am in the midst of sorting out your recipes and would appreciate if you will send me the brochures/pdf files on menu 4 to 7 for my file.

Thanks again.

With kind regardsLynda LowWednesday, February 28, 2007

Dear Chef,I am Carmen from Colombia. I took some cooking lessons in Marine Parade last year and enjoyed them very much with my friend Zuleyca from Argentina. I am leaving Singapore next week. I'm going to England. I will miss your lessons a lot. Congratulations for your great work. I hope my friend Zuleyca can continued having this lessons. Thanks a lot for your information and all the best for you and your family. Kind regards Carmen
29th May 2006

Hi Chef,
Thanks for sharing all your interesting recipes with us.
Looking forward to all your upcoming interesting recipes. Glad to note that there is a menu focusing on "Hi Tea session" as I do love to invite friends for some simple delights of such. I must say that I enjoyed and love all your Italian pasta classes. It is really good and fantastic.
Thanks again to your passion in food and willingly share with us all the interesting recipes. I truly learned and enjoyed most of your classes that I attended. You are simply the BEST!
Regards,
Puihun
8th July 2006

Dear Chef,
What a lovely Tiramisu that was. Heavenly! The lamb and the salad were fantastic, too.
Regards,
Kay Parkinson June 28th 2006